Here's a mushy chapter for you! Enjoy! Tell me what you think.

Chapter 9

Arya

As the months passed, Arya found she was truly happy for the first time in very long. Dickon was long gone, and so were his parents. And although she missed Sansa and Rickon, she found comfort in listening to Bran as he told stories about the children of the forest or the first men. If she was truly bored, she would help Robb with his duties as the head of Winterfell, or discussing baby names with Talla, who was already pregnant. Arya hoped for Robb's sake the first born would be a boy, and suggested they could call him Arry to honor her. Talla had laughed by this but had eagerly written it down on the list of possible baby names.

To her disdain, she found Gendry was pulling away from her again. Although he was not completely avoiding her like the last time, he no longer let her watch him work, and didn't meet her in the Wolfswood as often as before. When Arya asked him why, he had simply shrugged and murmured something about being busy.

Today however, she had managed to lure him out of Mikken's house with a promise of pie and wine, and he came with her and Nymeria out to the Wolfswood. They sat in their usual spot, laughing, eating and drinking, and for a while, the newly created crater between them was forgotten.

"I want you to kiss me," Arya suddenly said. Gendry's eyes widened in shock and he turned to look at her, his jaw open.

"Excuse me?"

"Married people kiss, don't they?" she asked. When Gendry nodded skeptically, she continued: "Perhaps if I like it, I won't be so against marriage." She knew the idea was absurd, but couldn't get it out of her head. It was worth a shot, and if anyone would be willing to test her theory, it would be Gendry.

"I'm not going to kiss you," he said, snorting. Arya felt slightly hurt as she punched his shoulder.

"I am your Lady, I command you to kiss me!"

He looked at her, his blue eyes piercing through her and for a moment she wondered if he could see all the way to her soul. "I won't do it, m'lady," he said stubbornly. Arya let out a frustrated groan and threw a handful of snow on him.

"Are you only saying no because I'm the one asking?" she asked him, and realized she was slightly afraid of his answer.

"Yes," he said. His words felt like a punch in her stomach. Sighing she leaned back in the snow. Well, if he didn't want to kiss her, she had to find someone else who would.

"You know your theory is stupid, right?" he asked after a moment of silence. Arya looked at him, shaking her head.

"It's not the act alone that matters, it's the person you're kissing," he told her. Arya sat up, suddenly curious.

"Have you ever kissed anyone?" she asked, throwing her long braid behind her shoulder. Gendry snorted with laughter and nodded.

"When?"

"Back in King's Landing," he replied, staring up at the sky. "She was a few years older than me. It was awful."

"Why did you do it then?" Arya asked. Gendry shrugged, pushing his hair out of his eyes.

"I guess I was curious, just like you," he said, smiling. Arya bit her lip, wondering if she was bold enough to ask the next question that popped into her mind.

"Have you ever… you know…" her voice was weak and quiet, and Gendry gave her a disdained look.

"You can't just ask people-"

"Why not? We're friends, aren't we?" she said, crossing her arms. "I can tell you that I've never been with anyone."

Gendry scoffed, leaning back on his elbows. "I know you haven't. If you had, you wouldn't have wondered how kissing would be like."

"But have you?" she repeated.

Gendry looked at her again, meeting her gaze, before finally shaking his head. She was slightly taking aback by this. Gendry was a very handsome man, strong and kind. She had guessed he had been very popular among the girls back in King's Landing. "Why not?" she asked.

Gendry groaned, falling back in the snow, stretching his arms behind his head. "I guess as a bastard I don't want to risk a child having my fate, you know. No one should go through life not knowing who their father is."

Arya nodded. It made sense. She had overheard Jon say the exact same thing to Theon when he tried to talk him into visiting the brothel outside the castle walls.

"But have you ever had the opportunity?" Arya looked at him as his lips twisted into a mysterious smile.

"Well, it's not very hard – one simply needs to go to the closest brothel and pay a few coins." He turned his head and gave her a strange look. "Why do you have so many questions today?"

Arya shrugged, taking another sip of wine. "I'm curious," she replied shortly.

He leaned closer, his whole weight on the one elbow nearest her. "Do you really want me to kiss you?" he asked in a gentle voice. Arya shrugged as if she didn't care whether he kissed her or not, but truth be told, she was so curious she would be willing to kiss anyone at this point. She had seen her parents kiss several times, and now that Robb and Talla were married, they hardly kept their hands off of each other, and kissed whenever they had the opportunity. Surely they wouldn't have done so if it wasn't pleasant.

"What do I get in return?" Gendry asked, smirking. Arya bit her lip, thinking, watching Nymeria as she ran into the woods.

"Wouldn't you be considered a prostitute if I paid you?" she chuckled, punching his shoulder lightly. Gendry snorted with laughter.

"I guess you're right. Perhaps I will let this one go as a favor."

Arya looked expectantly at him as he drew nearer, his eyes closed. When their lips met, she felt her stomach twist in excitement. He put a hand around the back of her neck, pulling her closer as she opened her mouth to let his tongue in. she did not really know why she did it, it only seemed like the right thing to do, and judging by his heavy breathing, it was. Tangling her fingers into his black hair, a moan escaped her lips. She could feel Gendry pulling away, but she only pulled him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. Suddenly, his strong hands untangled her arms and he was free from her embrace. His expression was a mixture of shock and guilt. He let his fingers trail the edge of his red lips, and shot her a worried look. She bit her lip, dreading what came next. When she had asked him to kiss her, she had never expected it to be so good.

"We shouldn't have done that," he said, getting up. Arya jumped to her feet as well. "We really shouldn't have done that."

She felt annoyed, and slightly hurt by his reaction. Had it really been that bad? In that case, it had to be her. She was the only one without experience.

"I'm sorry, Arya," he said and started to walk back to the castle. Arya seized his elbow and jerked him around, forcing him to look at her.

"Why are you sorry? What's the matter?"

But Gendry shook his head, wrenching his arm free from her grip. "I'm sorry," he repeated and started running through the snow.

Gendry

Gendry kept clear of Arya for the next few days, determined never to speak to her again. He had finally started to forget about her, when she had asked him to kiss her, and he, the stupid bull he was, obeyed. When he returned home, he ignored Myra's curious looks and headed straight for his bedchamber, where he stayed for the rest of the day. He shouldn't have done it. They shouldn't have done it. Although he had imagined how it would be to kiss Arya's soft lips, he had never thought it would be so exciting. He had meant for it to be a gentle kiss to show her what the idea was, but it had ended in a heated, passionate snog. That much for pulling away from their friendship these past months. He was right back at where he was at Robb's wedding- Perhaps even further in than before. His lips still burned from her kiss, and when he licked them, they tasted of wine. Yes, wine! That had to be it! He must have drunken more than he realized. Of course, that was what made him do something so stupid as to kiss a Lady. Feeling slightly better, he was about to return to the kitchen when he caught a glimpse of a large direwolf jog across the court yard, and Arya running after it. That damn wolf should never have left the two alone. Surely Nymeria wouldn't have let him kiss her mistress. But the wolf had not been there to stop the kiss, and whenever he thought back to the moment, he felt his stomach twist and his heartbeats quicken. What was becoming of him?

Arya

As Arya entered the castle, her fingers stroking her lips, Bran came rolling out of the great hall, a letter in his hand and a wide smile on his face.

"Sansa is officially lady of Starfall!" he exclaimed happily. "A raven arrived only moments ago." He handed her the note and Arya read it quickly, recognizing her sister's delicate writing.

"She seems happy enough," she smiled, giving the note back.

"Perhaps Starfall wasn't as bad as she had expected," Bran shrugged, rolling back into the great hall were Robb and Talla was seated.

"Have anyone heard from father?" Arya asked. Although he had promised to write once a week, they had only received five letters, and he had been gone for three months.

"I'm afraid not," Robb said, stroking his wife's barely swollen belly. Arya noticed Bran giving Robb an uncertain look, and when Robb nodded encouragingly, Bran picked up another letter from the table, handing it to Arya.

"This came with Sansa's letter. I believe it is from mother."

Arya could only imagine what was so important that her mother had to write her a letter meant for her eyes only. "Excuse me," she said and hurried up to her chamber, where she lit a candle and sat down in the chair by the diamond-shaped window. She already knew how disappointed her mother was in her by reading the first sentence, and had to take a break to brace herself for the rest.

Obviously, the Tarly's had written about Gendry and her, and felt humiliated by her behavior. This had obviously ruined the bond between the families more severe than Arya had ever expected it would. As she read, she could hear her mother's strict voice reprimanding her, and suddenly felt the bad conscience for her actions jolt through her. Her mother commanded her to write an apologizing letter to the Tarly's where she would tell them that her relationship with Gendry had started long before she met Dickon. Arya didn't really understand how that would make them feel any better, but did as her mother told her to do. Even in writing, her mother could be very persuasive. Luckily, her mother had written a suggestion to what Arya might write in the letter, and in lack of anything better two write, she wrote a letter identical to her mother's suggestion, shuddering by the last sentence which said: "I would be honored to marry your son if he changed his mind about me, but do not blame him if he don't."

She addressed the letter to Lord and Lady Tarly and sent it immediately, hoping the raven would get lost on its way to Horn Hill. She had no desire what so ever to marry that spying idiot. Especially not now while Gendry's kiss burned deliciously on her lips.